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Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

MOBILE, ALA. — The Senior Bowl isn’t until Saturday, but most NFL people pack up and leave Alabama after practice today. With that in mind, here are five insights on the draft — and the Lions — gained from talking to people across the league this week:

■ It’s going to be a deep draft. A record 102 underclassmen declared for the draft this year, and many will go high in the first round. Jadeveon Clowney, Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles and Sammy Watkins are all potential top-five picks, but it’s the mid-round guys who mean more work for scouts. Because most teams don’t write up underclassmen when they visit campuses in the fall, many talent evaluators will hit the road in the coming weeks to study juniors. Teams with extra picks, as always, will be in good shape when May gets here. Cheap and young is good in the NFL, and this could be a draft to build depth. The Lions, if you’re wondering, have picks in every round but the fifth, with compensatory selections still two months from being announced.

■ The Lions are in the market for a kicker this off-season, but unlike last year, when they spent a fifth-round pick on punter Sam Martin, there might not be one worth taking in the draft. The kicking class this year is a notch below that of the last two seasons, when Blair Walsh, Randy Bullock, Greg Zuerlein, Justin Tucker and Caleb Sturgis emerged as dependable legs. The Lions are still expected to bring a rookie in to compete with the two kickers they signed to futures deals after the season, Giorgio Tavecchio and John Potter, but their draft resources might be better spent somewhere else.

■ Both of the Lions’ new coordinators, Teryl Austin on defense and Joe Lombardi on offense, have earned praise from their peers. Austin is considered a good people person who should bring an edge to the Lions defense, and many in the Saints organization considered Lombardi a rising star. But some growing pains should be expected, as neither has ever called plays in the NFL. Austin has an experienced hand in linebackers coach Bill Sheridan to lean on, and Lombardi, assuming he calls plays, will work hand in hand with new Lions coach Jim Caldwell. The biggest knock on Caldwell, though, is his ability as a play-caller, so NFL people will be watching the Lions offense closely.

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■ Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald isn’t the best prospect at the Senior Bowl this week, and his size (just 6 feet and 285 pounds) will turn off plenty of teams. But you’d be hard-pressed to find someone in Mobile this week who has something negative to say about Donald as a player. He’s a high-motor defensive tackle who plays with incredible leverage, put up phenomenal stats (28.5 tackles for loss last year) and has drawn comparisons to Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins. “That’s the name that we hear from so many different people, that’s what he’s kind of aspiring to, and when you watch his production and you watch what he does, he’s got that type of ability,” said NFL Network analyst Charles Davis.

■ As disappointing as it was to see Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard pull out of the Senior Bowl, it’s tough to fault him for the decision. Oklahoma cornerback Aaron Colvin tore his ACL in practice Tuesday and Virginia Tech defensive end James Gayle left today with what appeared to be a serious arm injury. Dennard is roundly considered one of the top few cornerbacks in this year’s draft — maybe the best — even though some scouts wonder about his speed and how effective he’ll be if he has to ratchet down his physical play. Still, no one said skipping out on the Senior Bowl will hurt Dennard’s draft stock. “There are a number of reasons why I’m sure guys don’t participate,” said Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith, who’s running the North team this week. “They go through a long college season — some of them may have nicks. I know there were a number of guys who were not healthy enough to participate in the ball game. Each person must make their own decision. Me, myself, personally, I believe when you get an opportunity to go out and compete and show what you’re capable of doing, you should take advantage of every opportunity.”